Our mobile phones are full with music, pictures, chats and apps. This morning I was browsing through my App Store account and I was amazed by the apps that I’ve downloaded over the years and either don’t use (anymore), because I downloaded them for a specific purpose or to find apps that are now not updated anymore (thus can’t be used) and apps that I am (still) using or even using a lot!
Some background information
I have been using iPhones for a long time now. I had the first one 10 years ago and although I’ve tried a few different brands in between, I’ve always come back to iPhones due to its ease of taking all the data over and it’s ease of usage. Over all those years I’ve been using the same Apple (iCloud) account. The benefit of this is that all my purchases are still visible and re-traceable, in case I’d lose a device or buy a new one, everything comes back almost automatically, if you do regular back-ups (which I do).
This morning I took a moment to delete some apps that I’ve barely used from my phone, which made me wonder about some of them ‘how long have you been on my phone(s), before I realised now that I have you and haven’t used you in ages’. This also made me think that other apps have been on my phone for a long time and I still use them as the developers have made and kept them awesome. Here are my 5 favourite apps, that I’ve been using longer than a year and also use on a ‘regular basis’(more than once a week):
1Password: Don't you hate it that you need a different password for different sites? This one won't allow capitals or special characters and the next one requires a mixture of capitals and special characters. For work my password expires every 3 months and for stuff like my crypto-portfolio I need something a bit more secure than pass-WORDS. How can you keep track of all that ... 1Password! It's a pity you can't see when you downloaded a certain app, because I know I've had this one for a long time. I find it highly reliable, easy to use and it's compatible with many browsers if you create an account, which ensures I don't have to give all my passwords to the likes of Google and Apple. Finally, the fact that I can create a backup on my iCloud also helps in case I accidentally delete the app or when I get a new phone. This app is my clear favourite!!!
Shazam: Another app I've had many years already, the first search I did was 'Be Ok - by Ingrid Michaelson', however this was 7th October 2012 and I'm certain that I have the app even longer. I like the fact that it recognises almost anything you hear wherever you are and to me it's become a bit of a tool to help me remember a song if I want to download later when I get home. I also love it for older tunes, that have slipped from your mind and if you're somewhere and one of them comes back in the background, you can 'shazam' it and you can then download it at home. To date I have 180 Shazams.
My Shazam 'homepage'
WhatsApp: I guess this app needs the least explanation. Many people use it nowadays and it's uses and purposes are widely known. Again, it's an app I've had for a long time and it's become more and more dependable, the more people are on it.
WeatherPro: To date one of the more accurate weather apps that I've found. I downloaded it a few years back based on reviews I'd read about weather apps in a magazine and I must say, it really is very accurate if I compare it with other apps. This is off course the main criteria, especially if you're off for a run of an hour or more you don't want any weather surprises under way.
WeatherPro
Garmin Connect: Off course I only downloaded this app because I purchased a Garmin watch, but I absolutely love the app as well. Besides the ease of synchronization, the graphs are self-explanatory and show everything I want to see in one view and it is very user-friendly. If you're stuck deciding on a fitness tool between a few brands, I believe this app could help you convince to purchase a Garmin. I've used the Polar app as well for a period last year and the Garmin app is much better and detailed.
Several screenshots from the Garmin app
So those are currently my favourite apps, off course there are more apps I could have mentioned like Facebook or news, but none of them are as much. Also no app makes me come back to them as much as these apps.
What is your favourite app, do you have an app that you can absolutely not do without? I would like to know about it.
Doron